Mr. Oein de Bhairdúin:

The situation in education has regressed. I was one of the children who was supported 15 years ago to progress to higher education. Five years before that, there was more of a barrier in place. When I was going through the system, there were structures in place which, although not perfect, were well funded. We had centres, teachers and teaching hours set aside for this purpose. The resources could have been better deployed but at least they were in place. Since the cuts were imposed, there has been no sustainable engagement with our community.

Deputy Ó Cuív spoke about what it is possible to achieve. We have seen a shift in a generation from a situation where Irish speakers were isolated and segregated to a position where sustained structural and societal support from the State has seen that situation flipped. The same is possible for Travellers, but the will must be there and there must be a recognition of the value of our community and its contribution. The new legislation could potentially be very powerful if it helps people to begin to understand what we have contributed to this society via music, crafts, language and our understanding of oral traditions. If people understood that, they would have a better sense of where we are and why we are here. However, that is only one step in the process. There must be restoration to address the horrendous cuts that were made and more programmes must be put in place. We need not only to devise an educational strategy but to ensure that it is implemented, audited and surveyed. There must be accountability. The only people experiencing the consequences of the lack of accountability and engagement are Travellers themselves. We are talking about people who are very much isolated in society and at the heel of the foot of many people. The State has a responsibility to intervene now. If it does not, how many more generations will we leave behind us?